Scuba diver dies after complaining of gear malfunction

[rongoodman]

It's pretty standard on the liveaboards I've been on, although I couldn't swear it's been covered on every one.

 

[pepperbelly]

In a local dive quarry in Northeast Texas the stabdatd emergency recall is also banging on a dock ladder. It’s mostly in case a thunderstorm shows up.
I thought ladder banging was a universal recall signal.

 

[NYdiver_666]

I thought ladder banging was a universal recall signal.

I tend to agree - however something to note is the boat was not a dive charter and the person who called in the issue on the radio stated as much - it is possible no one else on the boat was a diver and as such did not know how to recall the diver down

 

[d_thomas02]

Just getting up to speed on this thread so I may have missed something browsing through all the posts so far.

I'm not a medical professional but have been trained in CPR many times over the last 35 years. My understanding of the incident is that the sailboat did not have an AED on board. If the person giving CPR to the victim had measured a heartbeat he would only have been giving rescue breathing. If he were also giving chest compressions then he was not able detect a heartbeat.

I've been told during training that breaking ribs giving chest compression is to be expected, especially if the rescuer is not experienced and is also bigger than the victim. I suggest that the frothy blood seen in the victims mouth may have come from a broken rib puncturing a lung during CPR and had nothing to do with the dive incident itself.

 

[Simon J Rogers]

I once had a student convinced her regulator wasn’t working. After breathing off my reg for a minute and me from hers, she realised hers was working fine and we had a great dive without incident. It’s strange how panic manifests sometimes and it’s important to recognise the signs and take the correct action, whether that be reassurance or calling the dive.

 

[John Bantin]

Scuba Diver's Immersion Pulmonary Edema. It's more common than most think. Symptoms include the casualty thinking the regulator has gone faulty. The only solution is to get the casualty out of the water. Post-mortems reveal the same condition as drowning - liquid-filled lungs. Learn about it. Doug Ebersole, a cardiologist in Lakeland, FL, and a technical dive instructor who consults for DAN, does a good lecture on the subject. It has been regularly dealt with in Undercurrent. A Hidden Killer in Our Midst: Undercurrent 08/2017 .

Why Divers Die: Part II: Undercurrent 02/2019

 

[M DeM]

I think it's more common than you think. How many fatalities? Who knows. I'm sure DCS is more likely, that is of course if you don't hold your breath. From 30 feet, 5 minutes into a dive, DCS wouldn't be at the top of my list in this unfortunate incident.

Last year I shared this incident.
Scuba incident/accident/Rescue via USCG Florida Middle Grounds 08/16/2018

Would just pulling the shoulder valve dump the air fast enough to help in the case of a stuck inflator?

 

[CuzzA]

Would just pulling the shoulder valve dump the air fast enough to help in the case of a stuck inflator?

It would certainly help, but unless you detach the inflator hose I think you'll be headed up. I've never had it happen to me, not gonna try and simulate it on a dive either. I suppose you could test it in a pool.

 

[johndiver999]

You can still embolize in a pool from 5 feet. I think I’ve heard that a dump valve should have a higher flow rate than a normal inflator, but I would disconnect asap

 

[Diving Dubai]

It would certainly help, but unless you detach the inflator hose I think you'll be headed up. I've never had it happen to me, not gonna try and simulate it on a dive either. I suppose you could test it in a pool.

Happened to me a few years back. Keeping the rear dump pulled open sorted the immediate problem - which was a reaction to going up rather than a conscious thought. Then I disconnected the inflator - - again a reaction rather than a thought

Just holding the deflate button down on the LPI will be enough - you can prove it to yourself by pressing the inflate and deflate at the same time.

Everyone should practice removing and replacing the LP inflator underwater If the hose connector is stiff, change your hose they're not expensive after all